Mongolia’s tiny Catholic community prepares for Christmas

In Ulaanbaatar, several months after Pope Francis' visit, around 400 young Catholics gather to stage a Christmas play. 

By Joseph Tulloch

Young people from Mongolia’s tiny Catholic community have come together to prepare for Christmas. 

More than 400 children and young people gathered in the parish hall of Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, where they put on a Christmas play.  

There are around 1,450 Catholics in the country. 

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulanbaatar, spoke to Vatican News about the occasion.

"This year Christmas falls on a weekday, a working day. So it will be even more special to reflect on the greatest mystery in history, which happened without making noise, in the everydayness of life. Let us ask for the grace of littleness, to be able to appreciate what is about to happen".

Papal visit

Pope Francis visited Mongolia from the 31st August to the 4th September 2023.

During his stay in the country, he met with its President and Prime Minister, leaders of its various religious traditions – Buddhism, Islam, Shamanism, and others – and with its small Catholic community.